Mt Ruapehu’s new car park booking system was put to the test for its inaugural weekend as thousands headed up the mountain.
More than 13,000 people enjoyed the weekend at both Whakapapa and Turoa after a good week of snowfall with 20cm falling on the upper mountain, helping form a good base.
The Valley T Bar at Whakapapa opened for the first time on Saturday and the Knoll Ridge T Bar is on track to open early this afternoon.
The new car park booking system helped ease the traffic congestion over the busy weekend.
“The new system ran smoothly and in particular on Sunday we noticed that it helped spread the morning flow of traffic over the entire morning resulting in a streamlined and more positive experience for visitors," says RAL CEO Jono Dean.
“We heard numerous positive comments, including that it was nice to not have to rush up the mountain early to try and get a car park.”
The new booking system has been introduced to help ease traffic congestion and offer all visitors the opportunity to easily park up the mountain when a booking has been made. With its ‘live’ booking capability people can see when is the best time to visit.
“We don’t want visitors sitting in long frustrating queues waiting for a park, or rushing on sometimes icy roads to get up the mountain. We’re also hoping that people will plan their trip ahead and avoid busy weekend times, there is still great skiing and riding to be had mid-week,” Jono says.
“And with the weather looking good early this week visitors should do exactly that and ski during the week.”
Before heading up the mountain visitors are advised to check the Mt Ruapehu website for the latest updates, snowcams, weather conditions and to book a carpark. Further information about the new car parking booking system, including extensive Q and A’s, is also on the website: www.mtruapehu.com
It is free to book a car park this season.
